TL;DR
A business virtual number in India costs ₹300 to ₹1,000 a month plus 18% GST for a small team, and a toll-free 1800 number about ₹1,000 to ₹1,750 a month before call charges. You buy it from a licensed provider after business KYC: GST or Shop Act certificate, PAN and the signatory's ID. It suits inbound and service calls; promotional calls need a 140-series number.
A business virtual number in India costs ₹300 to ₹1,000 a month plus 18% GST for one number shared by a small team, and a toll-free 1800 number costs about ₹1,000 to ₹1,750 a month on an annual plan, before call charges. You buy it from a licensed provider after business KYC, which takes anywhere from a few minutes with Aadhaar e-KYC to 2–3 business days with scanned documents.
Came here for a number to receive an OTP? That is a different product. OTP services rent you a +91 number for a single verification (NumberOTP's numbers expire after 20 minutes), and they are built for SMS codes, not customer calls. A business virtual number is allotted to your business and stays yours, which is why it needs KYC: the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has made KYC of every end user mandatory for business connections, and paper KYC ended on 1 January 2024 (PIB).
What is a virtual number?
A virtual number is a phone number that rings in an app or on any phone you choose, instead of living on one SIM card. Providers such as Superfone and TalkEasy let several staff answer the same number from their own phones. In India it comes in three types:
| Type | What callers see | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| 10-digit mobile number (a "virtual mobile number") | An ordinary mobile number | Sales and service lines, WhatsApp Business |
| Landline number (DID) | A city code, such as 011 or 080 | A local office or shop line |
| Toll-free 1800 number | A free-to-call number | Helplines advertised across India |
Every one of these numbers comes from a licensed telecom operator: DoT controls India's numbering, and business landline numbers are fixed-line numbers that operators hand out over SIP and PRI trunks for cloud platforms to route (TRAI).
How much does a virtual number cost in India?
An app-based number for 2–5 people costs ₹300–₹1,000 a month plus GST. Cloud telephony with IVR menus costs from ₹950 per user to ₹5,000 a month, and a toll-free number about ₹1,000–₹1,750 a month on an annual plan before call charges.
Virtual number prices in India by number type
| Number type | Provider and plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-digit mobile | Superfone Business Phone | ₹599 a month + 18% GST, paid quarterly or longer (₹2,120 a quarter incl. GST) | 1 virtual mobile number, 3 users; the quarterly plan allows 2 hours of outgoing calls a day |
| 10-digit mobile | Zoho Voice | ₹799 a month number rental, plus call charges and taxes | Virtual mobile number; outgoing calls from it at 0.4 credit (₹0.40) a minute |
| Landline (DID) | Heyo Lite | ₹300 a month + GST | Fixed-line number, 2 users (1 admin, 1 staff), unlimited minutes, no IVR |
| Landline (DID) | Zoho Voice | ₹499 a month number rental, plus call charges and taxes | Landline number for calls within India |
| Landline (DID) | Tata Tele Smartflo Lite | ₹950 per licence a month + ₹5,000 one-time, 3-month minimum; GST not shown | 1 DID per agent, 5-level IVR, calls within India up to 5,000 minutes per user a month (pooled) |
| Toll-free 1800 | Tata Tele | ₹11,988 a year (₹999 a month) plus a call rate of ₹0.60 on a 30-second pulse; GST not shown | Callers dial free and you pay for the calls |
| Toll-free 1800 | Knowlarity Basic | ₹21,000 a year (₹1,750 a month); GST not shown | 500 free incoming minutes a month, then ₹1.05 a minute |
| Toll-free 1800 | JioBusiness | ₹299 a month for 6 months as an offer, with a JioBusiness plan from ₹1,001; GST extra | A toll-free number added to a Jio fibre and voice plan |
How we compared: prices from each provider's official pricing page, checked 23 Sep 2026. Prices exclude GST unless the row says otherwise. GST on telecom services is 18% (CBIC), so add it where a provider does not show it.
Two things move the monthly figure more than the number itself:
- Users. Per-user plans grow with headcount: CallHippo's Starter plan is ₹1,900 per user a month on yearly billing. Flat plans don't: Heyo Pro covers 5 agents for ₹600, and TalkEasy Pro covers unlimited users for ₹999, both plus GST.
- Billing period. MyOperator bills yearly, so its ₹5,000-a-month Sedan plan means paying ₹60,000 + GST upfront.
For ten providers side by side, see the best virtual number providers in India.
What documents do you need for a virtual number?
You need proof that your business exists (GST certificate, Shop and Establishment licence, certificate of incorporation or partnership deed), the business PAN, and ID for the person signing. KYC also covers the people who will use the number: DoT's rules make end-user KYC mandatory for all business connections (DoT).
KYC document checklist by business type
This is Exotel's list; other providers ask for a similar set.
| Business type | Documents |
|---|---|
| Sole proprietorship | GST certificate or Shop and Establishment licence, PAN card, proprietor's ID proof |
| Partnership firm | Partnership deed, GST certificate, PAN card, partner's ID proof |
| Private limited or LLP | Certificate of Incorporation, GST certificate, PAN card, authorised signatory's ID proof |
| Trust or society | Registration certificate, PAN card, authorised person's ID proof |
Also keep ready:
- ID for the point of contact: Aadhaar, voter ID, driving licence or passport (MyOperator).
- An authorisation letter for the signatory, a passport-size photo, and proof of the address the number is registered to (Zoom Phone India). Numbers are circle-specific, so Zoom asks for an address in each telecom circle where you want one.
- Clear, self-attested scans under 5 MB each (Exotel).
Requirements vary by provider. Heyo completes KYC with Aadhaar alone and doesn't require GST details (Heyo FAQ), while MyOperator treats a PAN card as mandatory.
How long KYC takes: minutes with Aadhaar e-KYC and 4–6 hours for manual KYC at MyOperator, a handful of hours at Acefone, and 2–3 business days at Exotel. Exotel lists a company name that doesn't match across documents as a common cause of delay.
How to get a virtual number in India: 5 steps
- Decide what the number is for. Inbound enquiries, a shared sales or support line, or a free-to-call helpline. If you plan promotional calls to new prospects, you need a 140-series number instead (see the next section).
- Pick the number type. Mobile looks familiar, landline shows a city code, and toll-free is free for callers but receives calls only (Vi Business says so of its own toll-free service). For the WhatsApp Business app, choose mobile or landline, because the app refuses toll-free, VoIP and UAN numbers (WhatsApp Help Center); see our guide to a virtual number for WhatsApp Business.
- Compare the monthly total, then buy. Add users, minutes, the billing period and 18% GST. Our business phone number cost guide works through a 5-person team.
- Complete KYC. Upload the documents for your business type and wait for approval.
- Set up routing, then test. Add your team, decide who answers during and after office hours, turn on the recording announcement if you record calls, and ring the number from an outside phone before you print it anywhere.
Can you make sales calls from a virtual number?
Not promotional ones. Since TRAI amended its commercial communication rules (TCCCPR) in February 2025, businesses cannot use ordinary 10-digit numbers for telemarketing, and promotional calls must come from a 140-series number (PIB). To get one, you register as a sender with a telecom operator and pass physical and biometric verification, and your calls do not reach people who have blocked your sector on the DND registry (TRAI).
- What counts as promotional: any call that advertises a product or service. A service call that mixes in an offer is treated as promotional too (TCCCPR Second Amendment).
- What happens if you break it: the first violation bars outgoing calls on all of the business's telecom connections for 15 days. A repeat disconnects all of them, including SIP and PRI trunks, for a year and blacklists the sender. The trigger is 5 complaints in 10 days. TRAI's September 2026 amendment, which takes effect 30 days after its Gazette publication, lowers it to 3 when the operator's AI system also flags the number (TRAI).
- How often it happens: between April and June 2026, operators barred 1,37,053 connections for 15 days and disconnected 46,786 for a year (TRAI).
A business virtual number is for calls people expect: answering customers who ring you, calling back an enquiry, delivery and support calls, and follow-ups with existing customers. Once the September 2026 amendment takes effect, a person's own enquiry allows contact for 7 days, if the enquiry came in writing or digitally and you keep a verifiable record of it.
Some sectors have their own series: banks, NBFCs, stockbrokers, mutual funds and insurers use 1600-series numbers for service calls (PIB, TRAI), and utilities and courier or logistics firms are moving to the new 1601 series (TRAI). If your team calls leads all day, see our telecalling app guide.
Keep your existing number or port it?
You can keep a mobile number by porting it, but only to another licensed operator: TRAI's portability rules cover mobile numbers alone. To keep a landline number, leave it with your current operator and forward its calls to the new system.
| Route | How it works | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keep and forward | The number stays with your operator and forwards calls to the new app or number | Landline numbers, or trying a new system without risk | You pay for both connections |
| Port a mobile number | The number moves to another licensed operator under TRAI's MNP rules; the cloud provider must be that operator or work with one | Mobile numbers printed on boards, invoices and ads | Mobile numbers only; conditions below |
| Take a new number | The provider allots a fresh number | New businesses, or a separate line for one team | Update your website, Google Business Profile and ads |
Under TRAI's MNP regulations, a mobile number can be ported when:
- it has been active for 90 days (or 90 days since its last port), with no unpaid bills;
- at least 7 days have passed since any SIM swap, a rule in force since 1 July 2024 (TRAI);
- for a number in the company's name, the request carries an authorisation letter from the authorised signatory listing the numbers to be ported.
For a number in a person's name, the port is scheduled after 2 working days within a service area, or 4 across areas. For company numbers, the current operator first gets up to 4 working days to check the request. Ask the provider whether it will port the number to a licensed partner operator or forward calls, and keep the old connection live until test calls work.
Which virtual number should you choose?
- One shared number for a growing team, at a price that doesn't rise with headcount: TalkEasy by GrowEasy Pro, at ₹999 + GST a month for unlimited users, with 3 hours of talktime a day, call recording and an analytics dashboard (pricing). The number runs in the TalkEasy app alongside your existing SIM, so nobody needs a new SIM or handset.
- The cheapest number for a solo owner or a two-person shop: Heyo Lite at ₹300 + GST, if you don't need an IVR menu.
- A virtual mobile number for up to 3 people: Superfone at ₹599 + GST, paid quarterly or longer.
- IVR menus for a team of about 10: MyOperator Sedan (₹5,000 a month billed yearly, 10 users), or Tata Smartflo Lite (₹950 per licence a month plus ₹5,000 one-time) if you'd rather pay per agent.
- A free-to-call helpline: a toll-free number from Tata Tele, Knowlarity or JioBusiness.
- Developers building calling into software: Plivo, at ₹200 a month per Indian number plus ₹0.38 a minute.
Give your team one business number. TalkEasy by GrowEasy puts your business number in the TalkEasy app, routes incoming calls by team, department or availability, and keeps business calls separate from personal ones. See how the TalkEasy business number works.
Last reviewed 23 September 2026.
